Lon Kruger up to usual tournament-worthy ways at Oklahoma

Ryan Spangler could tell Oklahoma was headed to the NCAA Tournament the moment he stepped foot on campus.

The 6-foot-8 forward had seen what a NCAA Tournament team looked like up close as a freshman with Gonzaga. The Sooners hadn’t met that standard since 2009 when he took a recruiting visit to Norman in the spring of 2012, but he was confident that was going to change.

With Lon Kruger one year into a rebuilding project, everything about the program seemed to be on the rise.

“He’s such a good coach that you can’t help but work hard and play hard for him,” said Spangler, who has become one of the Big 12’s top forwards, averaging 10.5 points and 9.9 rebounds. “I could tell by the way he was making guys work out and the way they changed from the first game of the season to the last game that we were going to make the NCAA Tournament. I didn’t know if it would be last year or this year, but I knew we were going to get there.”

His confidence was justified. If there’s one thing Kruger has proven he can do, it’s coach teams to college basketball’s biggest stage. Kruger is the only coach who has led five teams – Kansas State, Florida, Illinois, UNLV and Oklahoma – to the NCAA Tournament. And he has guided all of them there quickly.

It’s a trend that defines his long basketball career, which started at K-State as a player.

“To get to the NCAA Tournament you have to have good players,” Kruger said. “I think that is basically what it comes down to. We have been fortunate to be in several good situations with good players and we have enjoyed every stop and been very fortunate in that way. We love what we are doing, and we have good players to help us along the way.”

Still, this could easily be considered one of Kruger’s finest coaching efforts.

The Sooners were in turmoil before he arrived in 2011, going 27-36 after the departure of NBA dunk master Blake Griffin. They also faced three years of probation and recruiting restrictions for NCAA rules violations committed by the former coaching staff.

Oklahoma has gone 54-35 since. Kruger guided the Sooners to the NCAA Tournament in his second season. And he appears to have them headed back in his third.

Few expected much from Oklahoma this season. It lost six key contributors from the team that won 20 games and was picked to finish fifth in the Big 12’s preseason poll. But gifted scorers Buddy Hield, Cameron Clark and Spangler kept the program trending upward.

“These guys love to play,” Kruger said. “They spend as much time in the gym as any team I’ve ever had – I’m talking about in the spring, summer and fall preparing for the season. They have really invested time and progressed. Once practice started, they kept that enthusiasm and clearly wanted to keep getting better. They are easy to coach.

Added Spangler: “The thing I am most surprised by is how prepared we are. Coach Kruger is so smart and he watches so much film that he always puts us in the right spot. He has so many plays he can draw up to keep the other team guessing. He puts us in situations where we can be successful.”

So successful, that a strong finish could push the Sooners (19-7, 8-5 Big 12) into a race for second place in the league standings.

K-State (18-8, 8-5) carries similar ambitions into a 3 p.m. tip against Oklahoma on Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center, but winning won’t be easy.

Once again, Kruger has a team winning ahead of schedule.

“I didn’t put a timetable on (reaching the NCAA Tournament) when I got here,” Kruger said. “I never thought in those terms. I just tried to develop relationships with my players and make progress each week, each month, each season. We have done that. It’s exciting and it’s part of the process.”